A collaborative project involving RadiciGroup, its research division Radici InNova, The Lycra Company and Triumph has now demonstrated a recycling route for mixed textile waste containing nylon and elastane.
Radici InNova has developed a recycling process based on selective dissolution technology that can treat mixed textile products such as swimwear, tights and leggings. The process enables the recovery of both nylon and Lycra fibre from blended fabrics and their reuse in new textile applications. According to the project partners, the process operates with non-toxic, non-flammable solvents that are recovered and reused within the system. It can be applied to polyamide 6 and polyamide 6.6 and allows material recovery regardless of the proportion of nylon and elastane in the fabric.
To validate the process under practical conditions, Triumph supplied post-industrial textile surplus containing 16% Lycra fibre. Radici InNova processed the material and separated the two fibre components. The recovered Lycra fibre was re-spun by The Lycra Company, while RadiciGroup processed the recycled nylon into Renycle yarn. Using these recycled fibres, a 60-metre fabric was produced and subsequently used by Triumph to manufacture a coordinated lingerie set consisting of a bra and briefs.
The project was initiated four years ago with laboratory studies on the dissolution and separation of mixed textile fibres. Subsequent testing confirmed that recovered Lycra fibre could be recycled and reprocessed. The resulting garment should be regarded as a prototype intended to demonstrate technical feasibility and provide a basis for further scale-up and potential industrial application of mixed-textile recycling.
